


Something Uncomplicated

by lls_mutant



Category: Firefly
Genre: F/F, Friends With Benefits, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-16
Updated: 2013-06-16
Packaged: 2017-12-15 03:19:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/844690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lls_mutant/pseuds/lls_mutant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inara has no intentions of servicing any of Serenity's crew.  But there are many ways to express friendship, especially when they both agree it doesn't have to be complicated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something Uncomplicated

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Haywire](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haywire/gifts).



"This here's the crew." Mal gestured to three people sitting in the kitchen, and Inara's fears of having to deal with a difficult crew immediately calmed. One was a striking woman with beautiful dark skin and a military air about her. There was a man with red hair and an open face who was obviously infatuated with the woman. And the last was more of a girl, her hair up in a messy bun, her arms bare, and engine grease smudged on her face. "Zoe, Wash, and Kaylee," Mal named them. "This here's Inara Serra. She's renting the shuttle."

"Nice to meet you," Zoe said, inclining her head. 

"Likewise, I'm sure." Inara was immediately aware that Zoe outranked the other two. 

"Zoe's first mate, and Kaylee's the mechanic. Wash is the one you'll be dealing with mostly, as he's our pilot. We'll be letting you know whereabouts we'll be and when, and you can work out the itinerary with Wash."

"I look forward to working with you," Inara said.

"Yeah, me too." Wash looked at Mal. "What exactly am I doing again?"

Mal smirked. "Inara needs to visit clients."

"Oh. Are you a lawyer?" Kaylee asked. 

"Companion, Kaylee," Mal said.

"Oh." Kaylee looked intrigued. "I've never really met a whore before."

Inara managed to keep her face still. She could _feel_ Mal's smirk deepen, but at the same time, she could see both Zoe and Wash wince. Kaylee saw it, too. "What? What did I say?"

She was truly distressed. Inara realized that, unlike Mal, Kaylee's use of the word had been out of genuine ignorance. She softened. "I'm a companion. It's quite different from a whore."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know…."

She really didn't. Her earnestness convinced Inara completely. "It's all right. It's a common mistake." She glanced at Mal, who wasn't smirking anymore. She decided to change the subject. "Are there private drawers, or are meals served community style?"

Mal returned to the tour of the ship, and the crisis was averted. Inara made sure to smile at Kaylee as she followed Mal out of the kitchen and towards the passenger dorms. Kaylee's smile back told Inara that the subject had been smoothed over. Relieved, she turned her mind back to the ship.

***

Inara had first intended to steer clear of the crew, keeping her life separate from theirs, but it was neither practical nor desired. _Serenity_ was not a small ship, and Inara soon found that she liked the crew members very much. So when she discovered that hanging the tapestries in her shuttle was a two-person job, she had no compunctions about searching out Kaylee.

"Sure, I'd love to help." Kaylee's smile was bright. "Just lead the way."

When Kaylee entered the shuttle, she looked around curiously. "Not quite what I'd expect," she said.

"I imagine it will look more like what you expect once we're done," Inara said, wrinkling her nose at the bare metal and exposed workings.

"Oh, no. I mean that I'd expect a different cooling system in here, that's all. It's a short range shuttle, after all. See that pipe?" Kaylee pointed. "It's a condenser for the-"

Inara laughed. "I'll take your word for it," she said, holding up a hand in surrender. She gestured to the neatly folded piles of fabric. "These are what need to be hung."

Kaylee caught her breath. "Can I touch them?" Inara nodded, and Kaylee reverently ran her hand over the rich fabric. "They're so pretty. You're really just gonna hang them?"

"That's my intention, yes."

Kaylee sighed. "Your shuttle is gonna look lovely. Come on. Let's get these up."

They worked together easily. Kaylee was fearless on a ladder and quick to come up with ways to hang the fabric, and when they finished, Inara was completely satisfied with the results.

"Let me offer you a cup of tea," she told Kaylee. "It's the least I can do after what you've done for me."

"Sure. I'd like that." Kaylee looked around. "I don't know where you want me to sit, though. Your things are so pretty and my clothes ain't so clean."

"I do laundry," Inara laughed. She pulled a cushion over for Kaylee to sit on, and then busied herself with making the tea. 

"Yeah, guess grease isn't the only thing you get on your sheets," Kaylee joked, then stopped. "Or wait. Is that the wrong thing to say?"

"It might not be tactful, but it is accurate." Inara glanced over her shoulder and saw Kaylee smile with relief. "Companions have many jobs that the general population doesn't think about."

"Like what? I mean, I'm not trying to be rude and all, I just never met anyone like you before. What kinds of things do you do?"

There was honest interest in Kaylee's face, and Inara found herself responding to it. She finished heating the water and came over to sit at the table. "Well, there's the tea ceremony, to start. It's a very important ritual, and really quite involved."

"Making tea?"

"I know. It doesn't sound like it should be. But really, it's not just making tea. It's the art of making someone comfortable, of welcoming them."

"Oh. I guess I can see that." Kaylee took the cup of tea Inara offered her and sipped it thoughtfully. "You sure make good tea, though."

They talked for a long time, Kaylee asking question after question about Inara's job. Inara didn't mind- the questions were easy to answer without giving away more than she chose. And Kaylee seemed very concerned about asking anything too personal. She was curious but considerate. A likeable combination. 

"Oh no," Kaylee said suddenly, her gaze on the clock. "The captain's going to have my head if I don't get the lines flushed in the next hour."

Inara glanced back, her eyebrows lifting in surprise. They'd been talking for well over an hour and a half. "Well, I shouldn't keep you from your work," she said with a tinge of regret, rising to see Kaylee out. 

"I should get back. But this was real nice. Can I come again sometime?"

Inara smiled. "Any time."

***

"Thought you said you weren't servicing any of the crew," Mal said, leaning against the door and not knocking.

"I'm not." Inara glared at him, but Mal ignored it. "What brings this on?"

"Kaylee was going on about having tea with you, and from what I hear, tea's a pretty big part of what you do. Not the biggest part, of course, but a big part."

"Tea is also something friends share. Or didn't your mother teach you that?"

"She did. Does that mean we can have our own tea party?"

"That would imply we're friends," Inara shot back with a lifted eyebrow. 

"Well, yeah. You live here on my ship. You're part of my crew."

_Part of my crew._ That stopped Inara for a moment, because she hadn't really thought of it that way before. She was a tenant, and this was a business arrangement. "I see. Well…."

Mal waved it off. "I'm just messing with you. I don't really want tea. I actually came up here to let you know that we're headed to Greenleaf next. Expect to be there in about three days, stay for maybe two."

"All right. Thank you."

Mal looked around the shuttle. "Not used to seeing the ship like this- all fancy-like. Glad to see you're making yourself at home."

It wasn't home, not yet, but Inara smiled anyway. And when Mal left the shuttle, she told herself that it would be.

***

Greenleaf was not a planet with much civilization. Inara was able to make an appointment with one client there, but overall, it was not a place with much business. However, their next stop was Highgate, which was far more promising. Inara made several appointments, much to her satisfaction.

She was leaving the kitchen after gathering a few last minute items when she spotted Kaylee. Kaylee's eyes lit up. "Your dress… oh my gosh. I've never seen anything like it."

Her enthusiasm was infectious. Inara couldn't help smiling. "I'm glad you like it."

"It's so pretty. Can you turn around so I can see?" Inara obliged, and Kaylee sighed. "Gorgeous. I mean, you, too. But the dress…."

"I know exactly what you mean." 

"So, you're going out to meet clients?" Kaylee asked. Inara nodded. "Is it, I mean… should I be…?"

Inara saw her discomfiture and laughed. "I enjoy my work," she reassured Kaylee. "It's quite different than simple prostitution."

"Oh. Okay, then." Kaylee's face cleared. "Well, have fun."

"I will." Inara couldn’t resist a salacious smile and wink. Kaylee winked back, and Inara headed to her shuttle with a smile on her lips.

*** 

Kaylee was waiting when Inara returned. Not obviously waiting- but she was sitting at the kitchen table, an empty tea cup in front of her. Inara made herself a cup, and then sat down at the table with her. 

"Was it a good trip?" Kaylee asked.

"Lovely. How was your job?"

"Oh. Not too bad." Kaylee frowned a little. "Captain and Zoe got themselves in a bit of trouble, though."

"How so?"

"They got tracked."

Inara looked around. "They're back though, aren't they?"

"Well, yeah, but they brought back a souvenir."

"Do I even want to know?"

"So this is where I get food?" A man stood in the door, preceded into the kitchen by his smell. He was a fairly tall man, obviously strong, with a goatee and a gleam in his eye. "Don't look like much of a kitchen."

Kaylee looked like she was trying to cover something like a laugh. "Jayne, this is Inara. Inara, Jayne. Captain says he's joining the crew."

"Oh."

Jayne ignored that and headed for the drawers, pulling them opening and rummaging through. The cans and boxes came out, and Kaylee looked a little distressed. "Those are all organ-" Jayne glared back over his shoulder, and Kaylee deflated a little. "Organized," she tried again. 

"So organize 'em," Jayne said. "Ooh. I like this one." He straightened up, holding a can out in front of him and smiling like a little kid who'd just found his favorite toy. Another two drawers were emptied as he searched for a can opener, and then he was sitting at the table, eating the protein straight out of the can with a fork. This close, Inara could smell him even more, and she covered her nose with her hand as tactfully as she could. "So where we going next? Mal says I get a good cut, and I want to know just how much that cut's gonna be."

"Don't know. The captain will tell us when he figures it out." Kaylee was staring at Jayne with a morbid sort of fascination. "You know, there are plates in the cabinet over there."

"Don't feel like washing one." Jayne finished his food, set down the empty can, and let out a huge belch. "Don't suppose either of you are up for a tumble."

"Er, that's nice of you, but no," Kaylee said.

"Absolutely not." Inara wanted there to be no misunderstanding. She wasn't completely sure how Jayne would take that.

Fortunately, he didn't seem to care. "Figured as much." He stood up. "So what do you all do for fun on this ship anyway?" He didn't wait for an answer- instead, he just wandered out, mumbling something that Inara didn't care to decipher.

Kaylee waited a few minutes, but as soon as they could be sure Jayne was gone she turned to Inara and began to laugh. Inara couldn't help but join in.

"He's terrible," she said when she could speak again. "Where did Mal dig him up? And _why_ did Mal dig him up?"

"Guess he was the one who tracked them," Kaylee said with a laugh and shrug. "And the captain talked him into switching over. We could use the muscle around. Captain's a really good shot and Zoe is amazing, but Wash and I do better with the ship than guns." She said it so matter-of-factly, so casually as she leaned her hand on her chin and looked around. "He's right, though. It don't look much like a kitchen. We ought to fix it up some."

Inara couldn't help but agree. "Will Mal mind?"

"I'll ask, but I doubt he'll care. Probably be happy he don't have to do it himself." Kaylee brightened. "If he says yes, will you help me?"

"Of course. It needs it." Which was true- the kitchen was bare and dull- but Inara was also looking forward to more time in Kaylee's company. "Let me know what he says."

***

Kaylee was right- Mal didn't care what they did to the kitchen as long as he didn't have to pay for it or do it himself. Kaylee had some paints and brushes, and Inara tied her hair up and put on an old dress and helped Kaylee paint the kitchen yellow. A little tactful negotiation saw to it that the yellow was a muted shade and not the sunshine yellow that Kaylee had originally envisioned, and the color really softened the room and made it seem more homey. Kaylee painted flowers on the steel beams, and Inara managed to sand and varnish the big wooden table that they took their meals from.

When they landed on Beaumonde, Inara managed to take the first half-day before any of her appointments to go shopping with Kaylee. They found several big, comfortable chairs, a few woven rugs, and a nice big, low table for the sitting area. When the furniture was installed, the kitchen area was almost unrecognizable from the bare, depressing room it had been.

"This does look a sight better," Mal admitted later. "Almost makes a man forget he's not eating real food."

Kaylee grinned at Inara under the praise, her face lighting up. Inara couldn't help smiling back at her. Creating the room together had been the final cementing of their bond, and Inara was very grateful that Kaylee would be such a good friend.

***

Inara had long learned to look for the good in everyone, to find something enchanting about each person. It was a skill that served her well, not only in her career but in life in general. After all, it was how she handled Jayne. But when Humphrey Grable came on board, even Inara was hard-pressed to find some positive point about him. Loud, rude, ugly, and intrusive, literally the only good thing anyone could find to say about him was that he was paying money to be transported to Whitefall. After a few crude comments from him, Inara decided to keep to her shuttle.

She was hiding in there after supper when the door nudged open. She sat up, ready to be angry at the intruder, but relaxed when she saw Kaylee. "Can I hide in here?" Kaylee asked desperately. "He can find me in the engine room."

"Definitely." Inara moved her feet and patted the couch she was sitting on. "Is he regaling you with takes of his business triumphs?"

"Worse. Telling me about his cars. And he gets half the stuff about engines wrong!" Kaylee flopped down dramatically. "It's terrible."

"I know." Inara put an arm around her shoulders, and Kaylee leaned her head on Inara. She was warm and soft, although the metallic smell of the engine room was strong on her. But she still smelled better than Humphrey. "Stay here. He knows he's not allowed in here."

Kaylee sighed with contentment. "Guess you ain't taking him on as a client, are you?"

Inara pushed her playfully. "Ugh. Don't even joke about it."

Kaylee laughed, but then looked wistful again. "Must be nice."

"To pick my clientele? It is an advantage, yes."

"No. Well, yeah, that too, but to have sex so often. It's been _ages_ since I've gotten to. I keep hoping Captain'll pick up someone fun, but ain't had much in terms of that."

"You haven't been able to find anyone on the planets?"

"Not really. We don't exactly associate much with the kind you'd want to sleep with, you know? I mean, last time we found Jayne."

"I see. I'm sure you'll find love at-"

"Ain't talking about _love_ ," Kaylee interrupted. "Just someone fun to have few laughs with. You know?"

Her arm was still around Kaylee, and Inara became very aware of the fact. It wasn't that Kaylee was asking her- this was the confidence of a friend, not the come-on of a would-be lover. But Kaylee was absolutely lovely and dear, and Inara certainly wouldn't object to sex with Kaylee. In fact, the idea seemed rather appealing. But Inara wasn't sure how Kaylee would take it, and if it went badly while they were living on the same ship, it could get… complicated. Inara didn't like complications.

So instead, she kissed Kaylee's head and stroked her hair. "Maybe the next batch of passengers will be more promising. Or we'll stay on a decent planet for long enough to find someone."

"Hope so," Kaylee said miserably. "But whoever we bring on board next, they've got to be better than Humphrey Grable."

***

Kaylee was right. When they let Grable off at Beaumonde (to the relief of the entire crew, including Jayne), two new passengers boarded. One was an older woman whose company Inara enjoyed very much, as she was a history scholar and had fascinating stories about the development of the Alliance. The other was a younger man named Mason who was moving to a more central planet. Inara would have asked more, but he wasn't around much- he and Kaylee disappeared within hours.

It was interesting to note that, aside from a little good-natured ribbing, no one seemed to care. Kaylee did her work and _Serenity_ kept running, and Mal was probably just as happy that one less passenger was underfoot. The pair seemed rather smitten with each other.

So it was a surprise when, three days into the five-day journey, Inara found Kaylee hiding in her shuttle again. "I didn't expect this," Inara said, half-laughing. "Is Mason hiding in the tapestries?"

"I hope not." Kaylee rolled her eyes dramatically. "Although I wouldn't put it past him."

"Trouble in paradise?" Inara asked sympathetically, sitting down beside Kaylee.

"He's just so… clingy!" Inara started to laugh again, but then realized that Kaylee was serious. "I'm not saying that it wouldn't be nice to have someone," Kaylee explained. "Cause it would. It would be real nice. But I ain't met someone in a while that I'd want to b with like that. I thought we could have a good time until we got to his planet, but now he's talking about waiting for me to come back and when I leave _Serenity_ and that ain't happening any time soon!" She picked up a pillow and hugged it to her. "This is a lot more complicated than what I wanted."

"It sounds like it."

"I wish I could be like you," Kaylee sulked. "Have sex when I want and then leave 'em and go about my own life. Wish I could be a Companion."

Once again, the thought of proposing a sexual relationship came into Inara's mind, but she pushed it away. Clearly Kaylee wasn't likely to confuse sex and love, but why complicate things? Instead, she just smiled. "I don't think you'd like the life of a Companion. They wouldn't let you play with engines."

"Oh. Well, yeah, then. That don't sound so great." Kaylee sighed and flopped the pillow into her lap. "Can I hide out here again sometimes?"

"If need be, but I think you're better off just telling him you're not interested in continuing the relationship."

Kaylee rolled her eyes. "Did that. He didn't listen."

Oh. One of _those_. "Well then. Feel free."

"Thanks." Kaylee smiled gratefully at her. Inara bent down and kissed her forehead, and tried to ignore the way that Kaylee's entire face lit up when she smiled.

***

It was Zoe and Wash's elopement that did it.

It wasn't loneliness, per se, and it wasn't a desire for a relationship of her own. Inara was quite content with her own company, and she didn't need the complications a relationship would bring. But watching Zoe and Wash face Mal's annoyance together, watching their happiness and their relationship- that made Inara wistful for a connection of her own. Nothing as intense as what Zoe and Wash had, but something.

She invited Kaylee to her shuttle that night. 

It was always easy to talk to Kaylee, easy and uncomplicated. But tonight Inara deliberately didn't pour tea, or wear one of her better dresses. 

"I'm glad you could come up," Inara said, picking up the hair brush and pointing to a cushion on the floor.

Kaylee sat eagerly. "Not a problem. It's nice to give Wash and Zoe a little space, you know? This should be their honeymoon."

"I know. I'm happy for them."

"Me, too." The sincerity in Kaylee's voice was easy and unforced, reassuring Inara that this was a good idea. "They just seem so right for each other, you know?" She closed her eyes as Inara brushed her hair, a little smile playing on the corners of her lips.

"I'm not sure I would have thought it when I first met them,"

"Nah, they work, because they are so different. It's nice." Kaylee sighed happily.

"It doesn't make you feel lonely?"

"Not this. Though I still wouldn't mind getting action from something that doesn't run on batteries."

"Well…" Inara twirled a strand of Kaylee's hair around her finger. "It could be possible."

"What do you mean?" Inara's touch became more sure, and Kaylee's eyes widened as she looked back at Inara. "What, me and you? No, that wouldn't work."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't afford a Companion!"

"I'm not asking you as a Companion. I'm suggesting it as a friend. Something… uncomplicated."

"You mean like just being friends like this, but having sex every now and then?"

"That's exactly what I mean."

Kaylee's grin widened. "You're on."

***

It was a fun night, and one that Inara found incredibly relaxing. Kaylee was a happy lover who was vocal in her desires and very knowledgeable of how her own body worked. Inara loved her work, but she had to admit that it was nice to have a night just to _enjoy_ sex, and not to try to evoke specific responses. By the end of the night they were both giggling as they got dressed, both relaxed and both comfortable.

"Are you going back to your room?" Inara asked Kaylee as she pulled on her overalls.

"I think that's best, don't you?" Kaylee said happily. "Like you said, uncomplicated." She was still flushed and glowing, and seemed to be perfectly happy with the idea. She bent over and kissed Inara, full and passionate, and then pulled away. "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." Inara watched her leave, then her lips stretched into a smile. This was promising.

If she had any reservations about this new arrangement, they disappeared the next time she went ashore to visit clients. Kaylee was enthusiastic and curious, but there wasn't a trace of jealousy or possessiveness. Any reservations that Inara had evaporated. She hadn't expected anything like this when coming aboard _Serenity_ , but she welcomed it all the same. It was nice to have a friend that she could be herself with, in all aspects of the word.

It was nice to have something so utterly uncomplicated.


End file.
